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Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

As Darkness Falls

Season 1, Episode 11, Aired Feb 20, 1995

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8.4

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In the town of Nespa, the winsome Penelope was about to marry Marcus - much to the dismay of Nemis the Centaur. Nemis prayed to Hera for a way to win Penelope for himself, and she gave him a wicked cudgel. Hera's challenge to Nemis: kill Hercules. Nemis enlisted the aid of the centaurs Craesus and Deric, plus Deric's girlfriend, Lyla, who cunningly blinded Hercules. Nemis kidnapped Penelope, but Hercules used his sense of sound and touch as well as his wits, to even the odds in his fight against Nemis. Hercules prevailed, and Penelope was returned to Marcus.moreless

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Cast & Crew

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GUEST STAR
Lucy Lawless

Lyla
GUEST STAR
Cliff Curtis

Nemis
GUEST STAR
Jacqueline Collen

Penelope

Kevin Sorbo

Hercules

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Fan Episode Reviews (4)

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hercules goes to a friend's wending,but he will get into problemes cause a centaur named nemis will lead away the bride and will try to revenge hercules because he had killed his brother as we see in the movie hercules in the underworld.moreless

7.5

"Good"

By doukakis, Jul 13, 2010

That was a good episode.Is interesting to see hercules fighting without all of his skills and we get anxious how he will deal with this,hopefully we learn that the lost of his vision is temporary.Great to see salmoneous again and to see how his relationship with hercules is becoming stronger,salmoneous had a big adventure with hercules and is nice to see at the next episodes that he remembered this adventure and he was being proud about that.The episodes have started to be more tight,salamoneous is refering to the 50 virgins from the 2nd episode and nemis(the bad centaur) is the brother of nessus the centaur that hercules killed cause he tried to rape his wife.Also we see some ancient greek costumes concerning the proud of the warrior and the importance of revenge.I dont like the apearance of lucy lawless at a diferrent role because lucy has identified with the xena role,this was one of the bad things of the episode,lucy soon will appear as xena.The descriptions of how feets far is the enemy,seemed fake.This episode was fine,althought i didnt get too much enthousiastic.moreless
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The brother of a former Hercules' enemy has a score to settle.

7.0

"Good"

By rhondaweasley, Dec 07, 2008

Step-Mommy God is back to bothering Hercules... or at least helping OTHERS bother Hercules in this episode. The Centaur Nemis (twin of Nessus from the "Hercules and the Underworld" movie) gets some help from Hera (in the form of a dangerous Mace) in getting revenge on Hercules for killing his brother. In the process he hopes to win back his lady love Penelope or should I say "win" his lady love (as the woman only ever liked him as a friend). Along with Hera's weapon, he enlist the help of his centaur buddies Craesus and Deric. And the little lady that likes to run with them, Lyla (Lucy Lawless). Lyla helps trick Herc into drinking a potion that blinds him, but she and her centaur (boy)friend(?) Deric eventually decide they'd rather be together and happy then plotting revenge and run away together. After warning Hercules about the evil Centaur's plans that is.

This episode brings back Salmoneus as Hercules sidekick-of-the-week and introduces Lucy Lawless' second pre-Xena character in the universe. Honestly, there's not a bad moment with Salmoneus around and I don't see how an episode can be bad with him in it. On top of that, I adore almost all centaur episodes. I don't know why, but I just like a well done Centaur episode. It's another story about not judging people on the surface, as the little centaur gang is pretty harshly judged by the town just for being what they are. In the end they mostly prove to be good "men". Deric especially, but even Nemis the villian - gets to be redeemed by love. Lucy Lawless is always brilliant to watch and I love how I can easily believe "hey, this isn't Xena at all". But they sure did have a thing for casting her as bad girls (redeemable bad girls, but bad girls just the same). Overall, the story is just pretty strong and fun to watch.moreless
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Hercules, meeting up with Salmoneus, attends a friend's wedding, where he is tricked into drinking a potion that almost blinds him, in a duel with a bitter centaur who kidnaps the bride and has an old score to settle with Herc; in this exciting episode..moreless

9.3

"Superb"

By Jay-Spacedust, Sep 27, 2007

This episode (occasionally listed as 'Centaur Mettle Journey' ('Sentimental Journey' - get it?)) is well written and very exciting.

It marks the return of Salmoneus (Robert Trebor), this time selling real estate. He makes brief mention of the fifty virgins from 'Eye of the Beholder', although never reveals why they parted ways. It seems an age since we saw Iolaus! But I'm always glad to see Salmoneus, he is one of my favourite characters, and Trebor plays him perfectly.

Also of big note casting-wise in this episode is, of course, Lucy Lawless as Lyla, an old friend of the brides who has fallen in with bad company (some centaurs to be exact). After playing Amazon Lysia in the first movie, 'Hercules and the Amazon Women', she reappears in a different here (and with her natural light brown hair colour); just a few episodes before fate would cast her as Xena and another hit TV show would be born.

The first chunk of the story is taken up by Hercules and Salmoneus arriving at the wedding, and has some really good writing, especially for Salmoneus, determined to make a quick dinar whenever and wherever he can! These few episodes in and by now the writers were starting to get a real grip on the characters.

Soon, Lyla has duped Hercules into drinking the potion that nearly blinds him, and centaur Nemis has crashed the wedding.

Nemis is the twin brother of Nessus, who Hercules killed with an arrow when he tried to rape Deianeira in 'Hercules in the Underworld'. (Of course they're twins they're played by the same actor, Cliff Curtis!). Nemis is armed with a powerful mace provided by Hera to dispose of Hercules, in revenge for Herc killing Nessus; Here they were still using the old Hera device, although it seemed much less forced than in some other first season stories.

As with Nessus in '...The Underworld', the centaur effects are mostly very good, although do look slightly 'wobbly' in a few shots compared to today's super-sharp standards.

Nemis is also an old childhood love of the bride, Penelope,and kidnaps her, as well as her maid of honour. The two plots, of Nemis wanting his old love back, and his obsession to kill Hercules, blur together a bit, but it doesn't matter, it just leads up to one thing Hercules must stop Nemis!

The plot of Hercules being blinded is great. I particularly like the scene where the centaurs are at the top of the rise, firing arrows down at Hercules, Salmoneus and company at the bottom; and Salmoneus effectively acts as Hercules' eyes so Herc can fire back.

[spoiler] Although the twist of Nemis suddenly gaining a conscience and sacrificing himself so Hercules, Penelope and her friend can escape the collapsing cave is well performed, it is a bit sudden; Presumably he let Hercules live knowing that he would save his beloved Penelope, but it all came across as a bit sudden to me. [End of spoiler]

All-in-all, this is an extremely good episode. In fact, I had forgotten just how good it was. One of the first season's best.moreless
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Hercules is blinded by Lyly (Lucy Lawless) and must deal with Centaur warriors out to kill him and capture a bride named Penelope.

9.1

"Superb"

By marvelfan89, Sep 03, 2006

Great episode, the first episode in the series to feature Lucy Lawless (Xena) named Lyla out helping a couple of Centaur's out for blood. People think Xena/Lyla was an honorable warrior, but she was quite the lying vixen here.
She was selfish, arrogant, and basically used her sexual charms to get what she wanted.

The highlight here is an encounter with her and Hercules leads to Hercules being temporaty blinded (she puts something in his drink). Interesting to see Hercules used his hearing and his other senses (yes including his brains) to win the fight.

Nemis , the lead Centaur, whose out for revenge since Hercules killed his disgraceful brother thinks he can kill Hercules with a special club. In the end, good prevails over evil. Not the last we will seen of Lucy Lawless except in the next episode, she'd be written as Xena.moreless
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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (2)
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- Nemis is the brother of the centaur Nessus from the fourth movie, "Hercules in the Underworld" and is played by the same actor (Cliff Curtis).
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- We learn that Hercules was trained by a centaur named Ceridian.
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QUOTES (3)
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- Hercules: Still selling togas? Salmoneus: Nah, I got out of that racket. Styles change every year. Real estate, that's where the future is! They're not making any more land, you know.
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- Lyla: I'll bet I know what interests you. Hercules: And what's that? Lyla: Pretty things. Come. I'll show you the best view in Nespa. Well come on, I won't bite.
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- Hercules: Tell me, Salmoneus, do I look all right to you? Salmoneus: Uh, sure, I think you're very attractive. I mean I don't find you particularly attractive, but I'm sure women do. I mean, I don't find you unattractive, in fact I consider you quite handsome. I don't want you to get the wrong idea, I'm not interested in you in that way. Hercules: What I meant was do I look like there's anything wrong with me? Salmoneus: Come again?
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NOTES (3)
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- This is the second appearance, and second role played by Lucy Lawless in the Hercules Universe. Her third would be as Xena in the episode "The Warrior Princess", which would lead to the spin-off series Xena: Warrior Princess.
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- This episode is also known as 'Centaur Mettle Journey'.
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- Disclaimer: No centaurs were harmed in the production of this motion picture.
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ALLUSIONS (1)
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- Hercules: (to Salmoneus) Still selling togas? This is a reference to the earlier Hercules episode "Eye of the Beholder". The fifty virgin girls from that episode are also briefly mentioned.
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